The
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has a long tradition of providing quality
educational programming to Canadian
children. Producing classics like
Mr. Dressup and
the Friendly Giant, the
crown corporation ran into a bit of a problem in the 1960s when
PBS introduced the
blockbuster Sesame Street. Because almost 80% of the Canadian urban population lives within 200
kilometers of the
American border, PBS broadcasting easily reached into their homes. The Federal government, always concerned about the
Americanization of Canadian youths, approached the CBC for solution to the problem.
Localization of the
Sesame Street program was nothing new to
Children's Television Workshop, who had molded various
international versions of the program for different languages and countries. In order to accommodate Canadian educational aims, the
bulk of Sesame Street's content was licensed the CBC, who then added segments teaching about Canadian culture and French bilingualism. For instance, instead of the Spanish number pronunciations, the CBC would
edit in a
French segment. For the most part it was
seamless, and the main characters and story lines remained
intact. The government was satisfied that children would pronounce the letter
Z properly and they let the issue
rest.
Enter the
CRTC. The
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) was established by
Parliament in 1968. It functioned as an equivalent of the American
Federal Communications Commission, controlling commercial broadcasting rights in
Canada. In 1985,
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Act expanded the mandate of the CRTC in a
controversial way. It became responsible for ensuring that Canadian broadcasters used a minimum of
30% of their air time broadcasting programs labeled as "
Canadian content". This move was made in order to
subsidize the Canadian music and television industries, as well as curbing the growing influence of American
entertainment on the Canadian market.
Thus, in 1991, came the end of the American produced, CBC licensed
Sesame Street. Not willing to completely abandon a hit
concept, the CBC went the internationalized version
route, producing the new "
Sesame Park" show. Canadian Muppets were introduced, such as
Basil the polar bear,
Louis the Otter, who spoke fluent French,
Dodi the bush pilot,
Katie, disabled child,
Barbara Plum (a parody of CBC broadcasting legend
Barbara Frum),
Beau Beaver and many others.
In 1998, in order to fully own a successful production, and some say to distance themselves from the growing
commercialization of characters like
Elmo, the CBC dropped Sesame Street's
street scenes and many American segments, instead airing all Canadian content. Added to the cast
Chaos the kitten and a human character named
Ray. Guest appearances by minor Canadian
celebrities were also added. This move did not work out well, as
ratings dropped off after the major revamp. The show struggled along until it was quietly
canceled in 2002.
Ironically, PBS stations carrying the original
Sesame Street noted increased pledges from Canada after Sesame Park went off the air.